Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe

Facts about Cocoa

What is Cocoa Powder?

Cocoa powder is an unsweetened dark brown colored powder that is extracted from cocoa beans. Cocoa beans grow in pods in the cacao tree.

To get cocoa powder, the cocoa beans are fermented, dried, roasted and cracked. This forms cocoa nibs which are then ground up which gives up two substances: cocoa butter and a brown paste called chocolate liquor. After pressing out the fat, the chocolate liquor is dried again and the mass is ground to powder. This gives us unsweetened cocoa powder! [Read: Benefits of dark chocolate.]